Twins' Oswaldo Arcia is down to his last strike

FORT MYERS, FLA. – A nagging hip injury last May sidelined Oswaldo Arcia for three weeks and eventually got him sent down to the minors. But that wasn't the damage that kept him from being called back to the Twins.

"The problem was right here," Arcia said, pointing to his head. "It was really hard. It was in my mind."

Now he's got something new in his mind: making the Twins' roster again. Arcia is one of three Twins veterans who is out of options this season, meaning he cannot be sent to the minor leagues without being exposed to waivers and claimed by another team. His status, like that of relief pitcher Michael Tonkin and utility man Danny Santana, makes this spring the most important training camp of his life.

"It's a new year," Arcia said. "I want to be here, but all I can do is work. Don't let last year happen again."

Actually, if he plays like last year, the Twins' decision will be an easy one, because their onetime phenom experienced an unexpected crash. Arcia opened the season as the Twins' starting right fielder, a position he had held since slugging 14 homers in only 97 games in 2013. He followed that with 20 homers in 2014. But he began 2015 in a slump, strained the hip while making a long throw from the outfield and went on the disabled list.

By the time he recovered, his replacement, Eddie Rosario, had won the job for himself, and Arcia was sent to Class AAA Rochester to work himself out of his slump.

It never really happened.

"When he hit home runs as a very young major league outfielder, he kind of fell in love with that a little bit. And it became too much of a focus, [so much so] that he was willing to discard the poor at-bats and not get runners in when he was supposed to," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "Cheating to hit the ball over the right field fence. Not recognizing pitches. … Some of the holes were exposed."

Arcia was stuck at Rochester, and his season spiraled downward. He batted only .118 after the All-Star break, managed only four home runs in that time. His kooky clubhouse persona, cocky and crazy during his days in Minnesota, became more subdued and sullen.

"He hit rock bottom," Rochester manager Mike Quade said. "To his credit, he never begged out. It didn't get so bad where he ever said, 'You know, not today.' He always wanted to be in the lineup. But it humbled him. He recognized that this was a hell of a mess."

But it's one that he is determined to clean up. Arcia took only 10 days off this winter, then left Venezuela to return to Florida, where he dedicated himself to training like never before. "Haven't missed a day," he says proudly of his sculpted physique. "I'm working a lot on my body. I feel more strong, more agile."

Yet he and the Twins both know that Arcia's problems didn't stem from his conditioning, so there's no way to tell what effect being in top shape will have. Still, they like how dedicated he is to recapturing his old job.

"We want [players] to have everything perfect so [they] can go back to trying to hit a baseball," Quade said. "It's about being in shape, taking care of an injury, being as focused as you can, taking care of other things that are pulling at you in your life. You solve everything you can, and then come to the park and hit. It ain't easy, so make the path as clear as you can."

Arcia believes he has done that, but as exhibition games begin this week, he understands how important March is. He has worked on not being too pull-happy, learning that he has the strength to hit outside pitches over the left-field wall instead of trying to jerk them to right. "I worked hard," he said. "I'm a better hitter, a better player now."

Molitor, General Manager Terry Ryan and the coaching staff will be the judge of that. The manager is more than willing to be convinced Arcia is right, though he emphasizes that being out of options won't matter if he doesn't perform. "I'm not one who likes to give somebody something they didn't earn," Molitor said.

Still, "different people get it at different times. We hope this is kind of a breakthrough for him," Molitor said. "I'm not forgetting about him. I know what he can do."